The Internal Threat
Every election cycle, we constantly hear politicians talk about the security of Israel from external threats, but are we missing something?
Israel is a small country. A small country with many enemies, but the Israelis' biggest enemy is not one of their neighboring countries. He does not keep an arsenal of missiles, he does not set out to revolt, he does not pull out knives and does not even flood social media with crazy incitement. Israelis' biggest enemy lies here - inside.
British comedy group, Monty Python, presented in their 1979 movie, "Life of Brian", the Jewish tendency, which has already become an Israeli trademark, to invest one's efforts in purism and trying to be right. Then it was the members of "Judean People's Front" who hated their "People's Front of Judea" brethren more than they hated the Romans - and both factions despised "The Popular Front of Judea" to death. There are more and more people among us who hate their own brothers than their enemies.
In this election cycle, so as in the ones before it, everyone is making sure to talk about security. Security is important, but security is not necessarily just weapons and military force. Security is the ability of a society to survive over time and if we keep talking about security solely in the military sense and vote so in the ballot box, the State of Israel will not survive. It will crumble due to internal wars and hatred. A society is not measured by its strongest, but by its weakest. A soccer team could hold two of the world's greatest scorers and they might even score plenty of goals - but if the other links are weak, the team will concede a lot and lose non-stop.
Since the 90's, Israeli society has been undergoing an accelerated process of privatization and neglection of social services; such as, education, health and welfare. There is a clear correlation between the killing of toddler, Yasmin Vineta, in the kindergarten; the death of Efraim Ben Baruch in the care center he was staying in and of an anonymous elderly man in a nursing home in Or Yehuda. We have done countless stories in recent years on the education, health and welfare systems and on the treatment of victims of sexual and physical violence. Nothing changes.
Israel is gradually turning into hell for those who cannot protect themselves: small children, senior citizens, people with special needs in care centers; while simultaneously turning into heaven for sadists and sex offenders.
As the amount of atrocities rises, the amount of investment and public discourse on all things that really matter diminish. Parents of helpless children and children of helpless seniors do not flock onto the street or block roads. They make do with an angry complaint on social media and keep on with their day.
Election cycle after election cycle, everyone talks about security or silly gossip and rotten spins. Almost nobody talks about compassion, solidarity and caring for the weak. There is a growing public who believes that the state should not take responsibility for anything and leave everyone to their own devices. Together with the false sense of action and protest on social media - this is the real existential threat to the State of Israel.
It is important to be strong and prepared. You can also fly the flag, sing the national anthem and even salute the king - but come on! Stop talking about security and start dealing with health, welfare and education – before it's too late.
